MN Broadband Task Roadmap Unfolds
In December the Minnesota Broadband Task Force released their first report, a state of the state of broadband in Minnesota. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xY In January they released an outline or roadmap that will be filled in throughout the year, much like the National Broadband Plan was fleshed out. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zR The plan builds on recommendations from the original Minnesota Broadband Task Force in 2009. http://wp.me/p3if7-FD

The next Task Force meeting is scheduled for February 14, 2012. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zA

Updates on ARRA in Minnesota
The MN Broadband Task Force report published in December included a comprehensive list of ARRA-funded projects in Minnesota and updates on their progress. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xY Deployment projects are receiving attention as customers in some areas SW Minnesota get connected, while others continue to wait. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zs

For communities that did not receive funding, the MN Task Force report indicates that working with (or maybe even forming?) a Cooperative could help expedite better broadband in your community. http://wp.me/p3if7-1yn

Policy Discussions
SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) garnered national attention with an online boycott spearheaded by some big Internet players. http://wp.me/p3if7-1z7 While at a more local level providers presented to the Minnesota PUC (Public Utilities Commission) their concerns regarding changes to funding for rural broadband deployment and maintenance as USF (Universal Service Funds) and ICC (Intercarrier Compensation) transition to CAF (Connect for American Fund). http://wp.me/p3if7-1yQ Telecom policy went mainstream when Thomas Friedman offered a controversial policy recommendation to focus broadband attention improving broadband in university towns, rather than rural areas. http://wp.me/p3if7-1yv

LightSquared vs GPS
LightSquared has been touted as an affordable option to bring affordable wireless broadband to rural America. Unfortunately there have been concerns about how LightSquared’s technology will work with existing GPS systems. The issue came to a head in January. http://wp.me/p3if7-1yL

Digital Inclusion Events around Minnesota
The following MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities) project partners are offering unique opportunities to close the digital divide in communities around Minnesota. PCs for People refurbishes computers to give to families who would not otherwise be able to afford a computer. They are planning to visit 10 cities in Minnesota with their mobile refurbishing unit to bring computers to a wider audience. Contact them for more details http://wp.me/p3if7-1zD The University of Minnesota Extension is looking for opportunities to offer training to local business on how to take advantage of broadband technologies. If you have interested in hosting an event, please contact them. http://wp.me/p3if7-1Aa

Local Broadband News

Benton County
Independent Lifestyles of Sauk Rapids is helping enable the disabled and others with the use of technology and the Internet. http://wp.me/p3if7-1yl

Golden Valley
General Mills is toying with digital cereal prizes and QR Codes to be unveiled later this year. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zU

Lakefield
About 300 Lakefield residents now enjoy FTTH. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zK

Minneapolis
Research developed at the University of Minnesota is being used in a new mobile app intended to help teens become better drivers. http://wp.me/p3if7-1za

Rochester
Rochester Police will use advanced analytics software from IBM to identify local “hot spots,” and allocate resources in advance. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zG

St Paul
The Minnesota Wild App enhances the fan experience during games at Xcel Energy Center. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zv

Sibley & Renville Counties
RS Fiber holds a public meeting with the Joint Powers Board in Sibley & Renville Counties to discuss the future of their FTTH plans. http://wp.me/p3if7-1zl

Stillwater
Stillwater uses flipped math curriculum; students learn material via videos at home and use class time for practicing lessons http://wp.me/p3if7-1zN

Winnebago
A new outlet store in Winnebago combines traditional second-hand and warehouse liquidation offerings with an array of Internet-based services for customers. http://wp.me/p3if7-1ze

Worthington
Thanks to a grant from MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities), WGTN-TV 3 programming, formerly only accessible for cable subscribers in Worthington, can now be accessed through the Internet. http://wp.me/p3if7-1yN

Events

February 24 – MACTA (Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators) Day at the Capitol – http://tinyurl.com/7dmmyxn (Sorry that event is not happening this year.)

February 28 – MTA (Minnesota Telecom Alliance) Day on the Hill http://tinyurl.com/87rrups

Looking for more events? Check out TechDotMN’s calendar http://tech.mn/events/. Many events are based in the Twin Cities but it is a comprehensive list. (If you have an upcoming event, consider submitting it.)

Looking for local MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities) events? Check the MIRC Google calendar: http://tinyurl.com/3oz5uzh or University of Minnesota Extension MIRC calendar http://tinyurl.com/66vxghj

Stirring the Pot

It seems that the communities with little or no broadband are increasingly feeling the pain of this shortcoming. It is no longer theoretical that they will be left behind sometime in the future. Community leaders recognize that they have been left behind and that the tail lights of their well-connected community neighbors are disappearing into the future.

The definition of community is also expanding to include rural residents. Township and county officials are recognizing that operators of farms and home businesses, school children, doctors and older adults need and want broadband. Leaders of town-centered enterprises like banks, hospitals and schools recognize that their on-line presence is underutilized because 40-60 percent of their customers cannot access broadband.

These last-to-be-served areas are not the easiest places to provide robust broadband services. Low density population patterns and significant number of the people least likely to subscribe – older, lower income – are not enticing investment drivers. Yet they need to get connected.

Communities struggle to find solutions from the bottom up. We are seeing some incumbent providers sitting at the table to try and solve these puzzles. It would be helpful to learn from incumbent providers to what investment incentives will be necessary to make rural broadband investment possible. I encourage them to sharpen their pencils and to let us in on a formula that works for them and benefits rural communities.

Bill Coleman helps communities make the  connection between telecommunications and economic development.  As  principal in Community Technology Advisors http://tinyurl.com/3f4dx7g for ten years, he assists community, foundation and corporate clients develop  and implement programs of broadband infrastructure investment and technology  promotion and training. Bill is working with the Blandin Foundation on the  MIRC Initiative http://tinyurl.com/2c6mhh4,  Community Broadband Resource Program http://tinyurl.com/cseu7e and other broadband projects.

Saint Paul, Minnesota nonprofit organization PCs for People is leading a mobile computer refurbishing project funded by the Blandin Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project seeks to reduce electronic waste while simultaneously helping bridge the digital divide in greater Minnesota.

“We have created a mobile unit to travel to cities across the State of Minnesota, refurbish donated computers on-site and give them right back to families in the local community”, said Casey Sorensen Executive Director of PCs for People. “We are very excited about the project, last month we gave 113 computers to families in Duluth and saw overwhelming demand. Families were extremely grateful since over 80% were receiving their first home computer!” noted Casey. Over the next 7 months PCs for People will travel to 10 communities to replicate the successful Duluth event:

1. Alexandria
2. Bemidji
3. Crookston
4. Fairmont
5. Austin
6. Marshall
7. Hutchinson/Litchfield
8. Faribault/Rice County
9. Cambridge
10. Hibbing

The project will focus on getting computers to two demographics that generally do not own home PCs; low income families and senior citizens. Recipients are identified through partnerships with local community organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Head Start programs and Senior Centers. To be eligible for a computer each recipient attends a basic computer training session and they must be below the 150% poverty level.

Two critical components to making sure the computer is useful are an internet connection and ongoing technical support. Each computer comes with free support from a local computer repair shop and self-paced basic computer skills training. For internet, recently ISPs such as Comcast and CentruyLink have created $10 a month high speed internet programs exclusively for low income households. Sorensen said, “Families that receive a computer through our organization have never had the opportunity to search for jobs or use search engines from their homes. It is a big deal for them.” With an average income under $12,000 per year recipient families generally can’t afford $50-60 a month for internet. Sorensen mentioned, “In most cases families want a computer for the Internet and for school work. Even though they can’t afford the most expensive service we have found they are able to prioritize a $10-20 internet bill.”

According to Michael Graif, project lead for PCs for People’s Mobile Refurbishing, finding people in need of a computer is the easy part. “What we need now to make sure these events are successful is to find local businesses willing to donate their old computers.” Prior to arrival in each city, PCs for People will reach out to local businesses to source at least 100 computers. “This is a win-win for businesses needing to manage their end-of-lifecycle digital assets in a cost-effective way, and for the community,” said Michael Graif. “Not only are we offering businesses valuable data wiping and hardware recycling services for free, but it’s an opportunity to help their local community.”

Businesses looking to participate in the program and donate their equipment should contact Michael Graif at: mgraif@pcsforpeople.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling (651) 243-0093.

PCs for People, a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting and refurbishing used computers for distribution to those who lack this essential communication and education tool. Since 1998, the organization has distributed refurbished computers to over 10,000 Minnesota families.

Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Program (MIRC), WGTN-TV 3, formerly only accessible for cable subscribers in Worthington, can now be accessed through the Internet.

Available at www.wgtntv3.com, anyone with an Internet connection can watch live coverage of local sports games, community meetings and other events covered by WGTN-TV 3.

The events will also be archived for viewing at anytime.

The benefit for snow birds and other seasonal or past residents is easy to imagine. And although it’s tough to imagine that we’ll ever see snow in Minnesota – it will come. And when it does it will be more difficult for many people to get around; viewing programs at home is more reasonable for folks with any mobility issues.

The ability to view anytime may be at least as valuable. People lead busy lives and attending local community meetings can be impractical – but imagine being able to view at your leisure. Suddenly it is possible to keep up on the Nobles County Board or Worthington City Council. And once you’re informed, it’s easier and makes more sense to get involved.

It’s also now easier to get involved on the other side of the camera – the article indicates that there may be more opportunity for local programming – and I suspect the incentive may be higher when you know there’s a chance for a greater audience. The Daily Globe reports..

“As time goes on, we’ll try to further develop other programs within the community,” Reeves said.

“We’re hoping that this will also encourage and help people become more involved with how to film,” Schnieder said. “Staff-wise, the station is limited, but maybe we can get something going with community education classes. There are a lot of talented people in the area, and we’d like to get them involved.”

It will be interesting to hear if there is an increase in civic participation and community engagement.

Foley, MN December 19, 2011: With help from funding through Living Connected in Benton County, Independent Lifestyles of Sauk Rapids is helping enable the disabled and others with the use of technology and the internet through a project they call BRAVE – Broadband, Resources and Vocational Education. Funding helped Independent Lifestyles purchase computer equipment to start a technology center within their facility and also provides an opportunity for Independent Lifestyles’ staff to teach a variety of classes and work one-on-one with community members to build computer and internet skills.

The technology center at Independent Lifestyles is open free of charge for use by their consumers and the public. Along with the usual computer equipment, the technology center is also set up with rubber, indestructible keyboards, large style keyboards and roller ball and joystick style mice for easier computer navigation. “Many of our consumers and community members, both with and without disabilities, have taken full advantage of our technology center,” said Jennifer Harmanson, staff member at Independent Lifestyles. “We have many who are looking up job information or are using social networks as well as working on general computer skills.”

The availability of the technology center allows Independent Lifestyles’ staff to conduct classes and hold one-on-one training sessions. Classes that will be held in the technology center starting in January include Introduction to Computers, I took the picture, now what?, Learn Word and Create a Resume and Learn Excel and Create a Household Budget. Past classes included Social Media and Email, How Does it Work? “I have been able to somewhat tailor the classes to the needs of the students attending so everyone gets the information that they are looking to get out of the classes,” stated Harmanson.

For many Americans with disabilities barriers in their communities take away or severely limit their choices. Independent Lifestyles, Inc. (ILICIL) was founded in 1997 to help persons with disabilities break down these barriers. For more information about Independent Lifestyles or the classes they offer call 320-529-9000 or visit www.independentlifestyles.org.

Living Connected in Benton County www.bentoncountyconnected.org is a project partner in the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative (MIRC). MIRC is a coalition of 19 statewide partners and 11 demonstration communities funded in large part through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The work of the coalition focuses on bringing the full promise of broadband technologies to rural Minnesota communities, businesses and people. Blandin Foundation serves as the project administrator. More about MIRC is available at www.blandinfoundation.org.

The article reports…

In fact, he [SMBS General Manager Dan Olsen] says the pace will run at 250 hook-ups per month until the project is finished at the end of 2012.

They are also doing a wireless trial in Bingham Lake. So while it’s not earth shattering – I feel like hearing that the ARRA funded project is going well is worth repeating.

News  from the Blandin on Broadband Blog (A recap of December 2011)

MN Broadband Task  Force Report is Out
Less  than two months after being announced http://wp.me/p3if7-1tC and after  their second meeting http://wp.me/p3if7-1xx,  the latest Minnesota Broadband Task Force has released their first report, a  state of the state of broadband in Minnesota. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xY According to  the report, 57 percent of Minnesota  households have access to 10 Mbps (downstream) and 6 Mbps (upstream) broadband.  The goal is for ubiquitous access (at those speeds) by 2015.

The next task force meeting is scheduled for January 10 at TIES. http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/ They will be  preparing their next report, which is intended lay the groundwork to help Minnesota  reach broadband goals by 2015.

Policy  Issues in the News
Policy issues, including broadband and telecommunications issues,  are emerging as the legislative season draws nearer. Industry and community  leaders are questioning the impact of the changes in the Universal Service  Funds (USF) http://wp.me/p3if7-1y2, while  Internet users, publishers and politicians are concerned about privacy online  (SOPA: Stop Online Privacy Act). http://wp.me/p3if7-1xV

Policy analysts are taking a hard look at policy and the digital  divide, specifically as it relates to minorities http://wp.me/p3if7-1wV as well looking at the roadblocks for adoption and deployment. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xf Not surprisingly, it  often comes down to cost.

Local Broadband News

Carlton County
The  Carlton County Pine Journal follows the progress of the Northeast Service  Coop and their fiber construction. http://wp.me/p3if7-1×7 NESC received ARRA funding to deploy fiber in the area.

Duluth
Duluth  looks at tech sector growth in the area since vying to become the Google Gig community. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xR

Fargo, ND
HickoryTech  has purchased IdeaOne, a company that provides data networking, Internet,  colocation, phone and hosting services in the Fargo area. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wS

Lakefield
Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services connected its first  customer in Lakefield. SMBS received ARRA funding to deploy fiber in the area. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wZ

Minneapolis
Taking advantage of local telecommunications infrastructure, the  City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Public Radio have created an audio MPR Sound  Point tour of Minneapolis Public Art. http://wp.me/p3if7-1v8

New London
The West Central Tribune reports on a Business Blogging class held  in New London taught by the University of Minnesota Extension as part of the  local MIRC programming. http://wp.me/p3if7-1×4

Upper Minnesota  Valley
Economic  Developer, Dawn Hegland speaks with Intelligent Community Forum’s Robert Bell  about MIRC’s progress in promoting broadband adoption in the Upper Minnesota  Valley Region. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xi (Includes  video.)

West Central  Minnesota
Appleton Minnesota’s Pioneer TV created a mini-documentary on broadband in rural areas for a 12 minute segment for the PBS Need to Know  Series. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xc

Red Wing
Minnesota Department for Employment and Economic Development  recently awarded a grant to Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical to  develop and provide training to Hiawatha Broadband Communications to deploy  broadband. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xM

Events

January  - Stats in Facebook: A Free Webinar http://www.mnrem.com/blog/?p=548

January  - Minnesota Broadband Task Force meets - (St Paul) http://wp.me/p3if7-1xx

January  31 – Deadline for Broadband Video Contest – HickoryTech is accepting  entries for its My Life My Internet video contest. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wN

February 24  - MACTA (Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications  Administrators) Day at the  Capitol – http://tinyurl.com/7dmmyxn

February 28  - MTA (Minnesota Telecom Alliance) Day on the Hill http://tinyurl.com/87rrups

Looking  for more events? Check out TechDotMN’s calendar http://tech.mn/events/.   Many events are based in the Twin Cities but it is a comprehensive list. (If  you have an upcoming event, consider submitting it.)

Looking  for local MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities) events? Check the MIRC  Google calendar: http://tinyurl.com/3oz5uzh or University of Minnesota Extension MIRC calendar http://tinyurl.com/66vxghj

Stirring the Pot

Does your  community make New Year’s resolutions?  January is a great opportunity to  bring  people together to talk about goals and improvement.  The Intelligent  Community framework (focusing on: broadband, knowledge workers, innovation,  digital inclusion and marketing/advocacy) provides guidance for organizing and  implementing action.  Through our MN Intelligent Rural Community (MIRC) projects http://tinyurl.com/2c6mhh4, I have observed that the most exciting projects are those that link across two  or more Intelligent Community elements.

For example, a  community may decide to improve public access to broadband and computers by  opening up school computer labs extended hours to all residents.  To  broaden the audience beyond those without computers or broadband Internet  access, the community could add a focus on math and science to create  knowledge workers by using community volunteers who use math and science – from  machinists to scientists - and by taking advantage of online resources â- from  Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/ to MIT. http://ocw.mit.edu Potential positive  outcomes include more support for school technology investments, better linkage  between kids and local career opportunities, intergenerational learning and  linkages, better math and science test scores and a more Intelligent Community!   You could just as easily promote the arts through an approach like this.

A shared goal  across our demonstration communities is improved marketing - convincing both  residents and non-residents (prospective business owners and tourists) to stop,  stay and invest in the community.  The U of M Extension http://tinyurl.com/7ys3uul has done a  great job educating businesses how to promote themselves online.  In  today’s economy, everyone is essentially a small business – improving the  products through education, marketing themselves to gain income - through  employment on site or through telework, self-employment, or growing a business.   How can a community use online tools like eFolio Minnesota http://www.efoliominnesota.com/ combined  with local web sites to showcase and market local talent - from kids to stay at  home parents to retirees? The inventory of talent would be eye-opening for both  locals and visitors!

Let us know what  your community resolutions are and how you plan to achieve your goals for  improvement.

Bill Coleman helps communities make the  connection between telecommunications and economic development.  As  principal in Community Technology Advisors http://tinyurl.com/3f4dx7g for ten years, he assists community, foundation and corporate clients develop  and implement programs of broadband infrastructure investment and technology  promotion and training. Bill is working with the Blandin Foundation on the  MIRC Initiative http://tinyurl.com/2c6mhh4,  Community Broadband Resource Program http://tinyurl.com/cseu7e and other broadband projects.

Dawn talks about their experience deciding how and where to focus their attention to meet the needs of her region with broadband adoption. The answer involves applying the Intelligent Community Framework at a local level to create a home-grown solution based on International standards.

The Board members were talking about pilot projects around the start that have been created (or considered) to help rural residents, especially low-income households, get a starter kit of sorts to access broadband. A popular plan is to provide a computer (often rehabbed) and subsidize the broadband connectivity in the home for a long enough time that people might see the value and become customers at their own expense.

There are two basic challenges that come up when managing these programs that I think are a microcosm of the issue throughout the state – and probably on a national level.

The first issue is adoption. How do you provide training to the new computer/broadband users? I’ve heard the PCs for People folks claim that generally if you can get them the computer, they can use them. And I think that’s probably true for 80 percent of the users for 80 percent of the time. But the Blandin focuses on the 20 percent.

Adoption I think involves two things – providing enough training to inspire someone to find a that the technology makes their life better. Maybe that means letting them fill out a job application, or talk to family far away, or help kids learn to spell, or accessing healthcare. Part of the issue in providing training is that everyone’s hot button is different.

Adoption also means providing enough tech support when the computer goes down to get it back up – especially with low-income households. (I just broke my laptop screen five days after taking it out of the box. OK for me I pay the big bucks for a warranty and used a tone on the phone that helped the vendors realize that coming to my house would be better for them.) Computers break the cost to repair can be high and is unpredictable – so by its nature it’s hard to budget for it.

The second issue is cost. Folks in some CenturyLink or Comcast areas are in good shape with $9.95 per month (and some computer deals). I know other providers also have deals for low-income households. (Other providers are welcome to chime in!) But some areas are unserved (which is a different issue) and some areas are just too darned expensive. We looked at a couple of areas that were 3.5 times more expensive that the going regular rate.

So again no big revelation – but a reminder of some of the root issues – adoption and cost.

It’s a great look at what’s happening in broadband in West Central Minnesota.

The article reports…

Some of the participants at last week’s class had never looked at a blog on the Internet before, two had just launched their own business blog and one individual has degrees in multimedia and is in the process of starting a business that helps businesses use all forms of social networks, including blogging.

Ryan Pesch, an Extension Educator, led the class. He explained the purpose of a business blog…

Pesch explained that a blog can create credibility for a business and help them find new customers.